What is a Single Point of Failure (SPOF)?
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
Any component of a system that, if it fails, causes the entire system to stop functioning.
Deep explanation
Availability and Reliability are the cornerstones of production-grade systems. Any component of a system that, if it fails, causes the entire system to stop functioning. Ensuring high uptime requires both preventing failures and minimizing recovery time.
Real-world example
A website staying up during a traffic spike by using multiple servers.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a system is reliable just because it is available (e.g., it's 'up' but returns errors).
Follow-up questions
- How many minutes of downtime is 99.99% availability?